A twist of Fate
by randomramblings
Summary: Legolas and Aragorn meet a strange group of men while journeying back to the elf's home. They are soon ensnared in a web of mystery and deceit as they become suspects of a murder in the night.
1. A Night in the trees

A Twist of Fate

Disclaimer: I take no credit for all facts and Characters related to Tolkien's works.

~*~

**_I. A night in the trees_**

It was _quiet._

_So very quiet._

Great furry, eight legged bodies crept amongst the tree, stealthily searching for easy prey. Their red eyes glittered in the dark. They could smell meat, fresh and sweet and tender.

A long hairy leg reached out to the mass of meat before it, longingly. 

And fell to the ground dead with an arrow through its head. Sensing danger, the others scuttled away. 

"You really ought to be more careful, you know."

The elf smiled at the human who had jerked awake at the sudden movement.

"I was merely… pretending to be asleep."

"Oh…?"

The elf cocked one elegant eyebrow.

"You were pretending to be at unawares in order to attract a giant spider to us – by using yourself as bait – so that I could kill it just at the right moment?"

"Err… Yes?"

"I am honored that you have such trust in me…"

Legolas playfully mocked the ranger, giving him a little bow. 

Unable to control their mirth any longer, the two old friends burst out laughing. It was several minutes before they actually stopped. 

After a quick meal, both the elf and the ranger continued their journey through the forest. 

Aragorn turned to look at the elf who seemed to be engrossed with something up in the trees. He was just about to ask what exactly had his friend so fixated when the elf stopped, cocked his head to one side and listened hard. He placed a finger to his lips to silence his friend's questions and frowned slightly as he tried to discern the sound he was hearing.

"Horse men."

"Do they bring danger?"

Legolas did not answer, but instead grabbed onto a branch of the nearest tree and began to climb. He was not taking any chances. These were dark days and there was no knowing what evil was at work in these woods.

Aragorn hurriedly followed his friend's example and the two were just in time as a group of men rode through on their mounts. 

The last rider was almost past the trees in which the two were hidden when he suddenly stopped. Their leader had given the order to set up camp. 

Aragorn cursed silently under his breath. It seemed his luck was especially foul today. Woken up by an arrow whizzing past his head… stranded in a tree because of a group of strange men.  He only hoped that by the end of the day the list of unlucky things would not grow longer. 

Several hours crept slowly by, Legolas had already settled himself comfortably in the tree. Aragorn sat tense on what he felt was the strongest part of the bark. 

"Why don't we…"

He started brightly but was halted by the elf.

"I would not take the risk."

"But they could be harmless for all we know."

Legolas didn't even bother to repeat himself and the companions lapsed back into silence. Aragorn sighed. The elf smiled in amusement at the agitated ranger.

"Rest my friend. I will keep watch tonight. It is likely that tomorrow they will break camp and we can continue on our journey to my home."

Aragorn tried to rest. He truly did. But the fact that they were in a tree high above the ground was not exactly a very comforting thought. I'm not going to fall. I'm not going to fall. He thought fervently to himself. It was then that he noticed a pair of red specks staring at him. He gulped. 

"Legolas._ Legolas_. Legolas!"

"What?"

"In case you haven't noticed, there's a spider … erm… frighteningly close to us."

"Aragorn, spiders have a limit to how much they can eat. And this one seems pretty satisfied to me. Especially since it has been there for the last… hour or so and has not made a move towards us."

Aragorn absorbed this information grimly. There had been a spider in a tree facing this one for an hour.  He wondered if it was his imagination or if the spider seemed to be moving towards them. No, he was definitely right. It _was_ moving towards them. He glanced at Legolas who seemed completely at ease.

"Errr…"

"Stop being such a child Aragorn."

"But…"

"Wait till your brother's hear about this…"

Aragorn swallowed hard, trying to calm his fears. Was it his fault that he _didn't_ like giant spiders found in Mirkwood?

He edged closer to Legolas.

"That's it. I'm not spending one more second in this tree."

Aragorn declared, he sounded childish even to his own ears, but at this point he didn't care. His main priority was getting away from that eight legged creature. 

"Besides the riders are gone… I see no sight of them down below, and as a night has already passed, I believe they should be gone."

That said, he hastily started to climb back down. 

~*~

**TBC…**

**I need feedback!!! Please review.**


	2. A Murder in the Night

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his. 

A twist of fate

Chapter II – A Murder in the night 

In his haste to escape from the tree, Aragorn slipped and felt himself begin to fall. His hands flailed around wildly, searching in vain for something to grip onto, before he felt himself begin to cut through the air.

I should have just stayed in the stupid tree, he thought dismally.

Legolas, on the other hand,  with his quick elven reflexes was able to do what Aragorn could not. He reached out, and grabbed the ranger's arm, jerking him to a stop. Carefully, he pulled the man back to safety. 

~*

_Below the tree: A few hours before …_

An arrow pierced the heart of a sleeping man and he was dead before he even felt a thing. The man next to him shot upright at the sudden movement of the arrow and yelped in alarm at the sight of the dead man. Grabbing his weapons, he fled to inform their captain, but not before he had let loose a cry of warning to his fellow men, which made the camp burst into a bustle of activity. 

Captain Tiddyn was not a foolish man, but he lacked the wisdom that came with years of experience to deal with the situation that he faced now. In truth, he was not really fit to be a leader. He had only gotten the opportunity to lead this mission through a few pulled strings by his Uncle. 

Now, his face paled as he struggled to think of an action to take to solve the problem at hand.  _A murder! _Of all problems that could be faced that was the hardest to deal with. There existed no strong grievances, that he knew of, against the man who had been killed and as of yet, there were no possible suspects he had in mind. His mind was a blank. He stood in front of Addramyr, the man who had been sleeping next to the victim and tried to steady his voice as he spoke.

"Tell the men, that we will continue on our journey to Esgaroth. I will not let this … problem… jeopardize the matter at hand. Send one of the quickest horse men to me; I will have a message for him to deliver."

"Yes, captain."

As soon as he was alone once more, Tiddyn sank down onto a fallen log and put his head into his hands. 

~*

_Back to present time: _

Aragorn panted slightly as he got over the shock of almost falling. 

"Now, _that_ was close." He said, in between pants. 

The elf grabbed his arm and gestured at him to stop speaking. Something was amiss; he could feel it in the air. 

Aragorn glanced at his friend, wondering what the matter was. He didn't have to wait long to find out, before either of them could react, a spider jumped down on the branch that they were on and hissed menacingly.

Legolas drew his white knifes while Aragorn pulled out his knife from his boot. The spider hissed again, but it did not yet move, it seemed to Aragorn as though he was trying to decide who to attack first. The two of them stiffened as at last, the spider turned to face the elf.

The branch was not a very strong one, for Legolas, in his haste to get to the ranger, had climbed onto it, not testing carefully the strength of it. A loud crack resounded through the air as it gave way, releasing it's occupants into open space.

Aragorn hit the ground hard, but thankfully, did not get more then a few bruises, however his luck did not hold out as seconds later, the spider fell onto him. Acting fast, the man rolled himself out from under it. To his surprise, he found it quite dead, with three arrows sticking out from its head. 

It turned out, Legolas had managed to grab onto a low lying branch, just before he reached the ground and had swung himself up onto it and loosed those arrows before the beast plummeted to the ground. 

The two friends stood below the tree for a couple of moments, trying to catch their breath from the events that had just happened so quickly.  Hence, it was that as they were resting that the men, that they had tried to conceal their presence from, crept up on them and were able to point their drawn arrows at them, in a silent threat. 

TBC …

Please review! 

**Anastasia who**: Yup, you're right. Aragorn is supposed to be pretty young in this story.  I'm really sorry I didn't update soon... and I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you! Thanks for all your reviews!

**Deana**: I think he did regret it. :o)

**April4:** I'm glad you liked the old version! But I personally think I messed that up really badly. Thanks for the constant reviews! They really help keep me writing. 

**Red tigress:** Oops… this update is actually shorter instead of longer. Well… I'm working on making the chapters longer.  Thanx for the review, anyway!

**itarilde-elenastar**: Thanks for all the compliments! I'm glad you liked the first chapter!

**Elven**** kitten:**  I'm glad you think this new version is better than the old one :o)

**Asuka****-Chan 2:** Thanks for the review. Hope you like this chapter!


	3. ill Luck

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his. 

A Twist of Fate

Chapter III - ill luck

"Lay low your weapon, strangers", a voice called from the trees.

The ranger and the elf froze. Legolas sighed inwardly, what ill luck had befallen them now? Alone, he might have put up with more of a struggle but in their present situation, he did not wish to endanger the life of the heir of Isildur. They were sorely outnumbered, there would be time later for other plans of escape, or so he hoped. He lowered his bow.

"We mean no harm," he said, as calmly as was possible with about a dozen drawn arrows pointed at him.

"That will be for _us _to decide," came the cold reply.

"What business have you here?"

"Our business is our own." 

Upon hearing this reply, a sudden revelation came to Tiddyn. _This was his chance, _a fast and easy solution to the problem which he despaired over. Two scapegoats- they could not have appeared at a better time. He steeled his voice and replied as menacingly as he was able.

"Not when it concerns the death of one of our men. _Bind them."_

Before both of them could react, the men were upon them. A fist caught Legolas on the temple and another on his ribs, followed by several more vicious kicks and punches. The elf lost sight of the ranger beside him as he was forced to the ground and his hands bound roughly behind him. He soon knew nothing as several more hard hits to the head rendered him blissfully unconscious. 

~*~

The two captives lay bound to two separate trees.  Most of the men in the group had come to the conclusion that they had to be the murderers, as soon as Tiddyn had said the carefully chosen words that would sow the most fruitful seeds of suspicion. _Not when it concerns the death of one of our men. _It was obvious what that line implied. It helped that one of the two was an elf. Little was known about elves by the men from this town. Tiddyn himself knew little about that race. Men were always eager to blame the odd one out. It was so much easier to blame one which you knew the least about.

The captain's conscience pricked a little as he thought over what he was doing to two innocent people. But then the little voice in him, the one which he should very well have ignored, argued. They _could_ very well be guilty. After all, what _were_ they doing so near their camp.  He couldn't let the murder jeopardize his position. If he did not solve the problem quickly, he could very well lose this chance to prove himself. 

Pushing aside his conflicting thoughts, he firmly resolved that he should complete this assignment, bring the two scapegoats along with them and then bring them back to his town where they could be properly dealt with. His mind was made up. 

~*~

Legolas was the first to stir; he tested his bonds and gazed around the area before turning his gaze onto his friend.

"Aragorn…"

He whispered.

"Aragorn… waken, my friend!" He whispered more urgently this time, worried that perhaps the man had taken some grievous hurt. 

The man stirred at last and stared blearily at his surroundings. 

"What happened?"

"Don't you remember?"

It all came flooding back to him in an instant as the darkness fled from his mind. His mind went back to the last sentence that the strange man had spoken.

_Not when it concerns the death of one of our man._

His eyes met the elf's who seemed to be thinking over the same thing. One word loomed in both their minds.

_Murder.___

"…of course!" Legolas exclaimed in sudden realization.

"There was a murder in their camp while we hid in the trees. They were looking for someone to blame…"

"…We fell out of the tree right into their hands- Instant suspects." Aragorn finished. He couldn't resist adding as an afterthought.

"I told you we should not have hidden in a tree."

"If we had just hidden in the tree till they left, like we were supposed to, this would never have happened." The elf retorted, glaring at the man.

Sensing tension, Aragorn gave way, "Peace my friend, I meant no offense."

~*

_At last, the moment for revenge was approaching. Half a decade, he had waited and soon the fruits of his labor would be ready to savor.  The elf and the man had arrived at the right moment. Not that he could have any trouble avoiding suspicion without them, but they provided him with a much easier course of action._

_Revenge would be sweet indeed. _

~*~

TBC…

Well, another chapter out. Tell me what you think! 

**Response to reviewers ('_')**

**Lillybeth1: **This chapter IS a little longer. Hope you liked it. :o)

**Star-Stallion: **Glad you're enjoying it. Did I mention that I really like your story, "Orcs!"…

**Blackbird10: **You seem really against Elladan and Elrohir, so you should be glad to know they won't appear in this story.

**Gywn****: **Sucky luck strikes again…ha! Well put! They _do _seem to have bad luck don't they?

**Ancalimawen****: **Thanx for adding this story to your favs list!

**Itarilde-elenastar**: Hey! *Yanks Legolas and Aragorn back to men with arrows by their collars* they belong here!  Err… in the midst of danger… as usual… :o)

**Wanda**: Glad you like the story and thanx for the review!

**Anastasia** **Who:** You'll see exactly _how much_ trouble they're in soon… 

**Well, thanx for the reviews everyone! **


	4. An Escape Attempt

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.

A Twist of Fate 

Chapter IV – An Escape Attempt 

The camp was silent. Guards had been appointed to watch over the two captives as well as to petrol the surroundings for any other dangers. However, other then the guards which were about three to four meters away from the prisoners, the rest kept their distance.

Legolas rotated his aching wrists. He had been working on them for the better part of the night and now, a few hours before dawn, they had finally loosened enough for him to free his hands. He glanced at Aragorn and saw that he too had been successful. 

The ranger's eyes met the elf's and Legolas nodded slightly. Now was as good a time as any. They slipped their hands out from the loosened ropes and waited for the right moment, for the guards to look away.

Aragorn started running first. He sprinted away further into the woods with Legolas just behind him. He silently prayed to the Valar that they would be able to get away.

A shout was heard behind them, their absence had been detected. Legolas sharp ears could just hear heavy foot falls as the guards gave chase. Their best chance would be to cross the river. 

What the two escapees did not count on was that the rage of the men drove them on hard. One of their own had been killed, for what reasons they did not know, but it infuriated them. Soon, they had almost caught up. 

~*

Legolas' gasped as a bolt embedded itself in his left shoulder; hot pain began to spread through his left side as the running jolted and nudged the arrow against his flesh and bone. He did not stop running. Aragorn was oblivious to his friend's plight.

White flashes began to appear in front of Legolas' eyes as his wound was made worst by the running. Dark red blood was already staining his tunic, as it oozed, from the injury.

Finally, Aragorn sensed that his friend was falling back and turned around to see what the matter was. He spotted the arrow shaft sticking out of Legolas' back and stopped. Legolas was so focused on keeping up that he did not notice the ranger had come to a halt. 

He hit his friend hard and fell backwards, his landing breaking off the shaft of the arrow and splintering it. Some of the splinters were driven into the elf's wound and he cried out at the pain. 

"Aragorn… you must go on. They are almost upon us…"

He gasped out through the pain. 

"You know I can't do that my friend." He knelt down next to his friend, and together, with a sense of foreboding that they had just made matters a lot worst, they waited helplessly.

~*

The men parted, allowing Tiddyn to approach the encircled prisoners. 

"They tried to escape," Addramyr reported to his captain.

Tiddyn looked closely at the two beings that lay before him. The elf seemed much the worst for wear, he had a wound in his shoulder and blood was trickling down from his lip and a cut on his forehead. His eye also seemed to be badly bruised. The man seemed better off, though his face was also rather bruised. 

"You do realize this proves you _are_ guilty."

The man's head snapped up, in disbelief.

"Yes… it does you know. Why escape if you are innocent? Why do you fear our judgment upon you if you had indeed done nothing at all? Yes, it does prove you are guilty, I'm afraid."

"We do not flee out of guilt… we run because who knows what evils you have up your sleeve? You really expect us to stupidly wait for your verdict to fall upon our heads?"

Tiddyn just smiled grimly.

It was obvious none of the others believed the prisoner. They were playing right into his hands. 

"Make sure they don't escape again."

"Yes my lord," Addramyr bowed slightly before signaling to the men to take them away. 

~*

Later, in the camp: 

"Do you think they really did it?" Asked Geollyn a stout, rosy cheeked man, who did most of the cooking. 

"Of course! What else would they be doing  so near our camp for no apparent reason?"

Rhunyc retorted angrily- he had no patience for the easy going Geollyn, who in his opinion was rather a fool. 

"They could be just passer-bys" Geollyn countered, not at all offended by the tone of the other. 

"Oh yes, just passing through this dark creepy forest for no reason at all?"

"Err… yes?"

"Just shut up you fool."

"It could be possible you know."

"He could be right." Another man spoke up in Geollyn's defense. 

Sensing tension, Addramyr decided to put an end to the conversation. 

"No, captain Tiddyn may be young, but he is not a foolish man. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, get some rest."

The place slowly fell silent, while Legolas and Aragorn lay in another part of the area, closely guarded. 

TBC…

Wow! I finally hit 10 reviews for  chapter 3 !!! Yea! *Dances around like a loon* Here, I baked cupcakes for all who reviewed! *Hands out cupcake to nearest reviewer*

**Anyway, I still need more feedback… please review!**

Reviewer takes a bite of cupcake, turns green and falls onto the floor in a dead faint. Oops! That wasn't supposed to happen…. 

**Sorry… I didn't have time to reply to all the reviews… but heartfelt thanks to all who reviewed! :o)**

**Anastasia who: **Torture inflicted on Aragorn and Legolas… well… they won't exactly be tortured by characters in the story if that's what you mean. But there will be elf angst …****


	5. Troubling matters

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.

A Twist of Fate 

Chapter V – Troubling Matters 

Aragorn and Legolas were dumped unceremoniously on the hard ground. The elf lay where he was unmoving for a few moments, catching his breath. He felt gentle hands being placed on his shoulder as Aragorn carefully examined the arrow wound.

The Son of Elrond bit his lip as he stared at his friend's injury. He consoled himself that sometimes injuries looked worst then they actually were. But if he was right, this had to be paining his friend quite a bit. 

What remained of the arrow had been removed by their captors. They had yanked it out of the elf when they had been found, but the rough removal and the splintered wood had made the wound worse. 

Splinters of wood were embedded in the sore flesh around the place where the arrow had entered and the opening of the wound had been torn open further when the arrow had been removed. The bleeding had slowed though, and dried blood now encrusted the underside of the tunic as well as the injury.

Legolas moaned slightly as Aragorn's fingers brushed lightly against his shoulder and closed his eyes. He opened his eyes as the Son of Elrond moved around to face him and remove his tunic and undershirt. The movements agitated his sore shoulder and he bit his lip hard to stifle a small cry of pain. 

They had been provided with some water and Aragorn used a little of this to wash the dried blood from the arrow wound and the cut on the elf's forehead. The rest of the water he gave to the elf, drinking only a little himself. With the amount of blood that his companion had lost, he needed it more. Then he tore off long strips from his own clock to bind his friend's hurts. 

By the time he was done, the elf was staring at him through half closed eyes. He too felt quite weary. The escape attempt had taken a lot from them. Tiredly, he helped his friend get into a comfortable position before he lay down to rest himself. 

~*

Legolas leaned on the tree against which he had been tied, in a light slumber. Aragorn lay near him asleep. The elf had awakened just before dawn and was on his guard. Any slight movements near them and he would be awake in a second. 

He was not going to take any chances with these men. At the present, he was not too worried; they were bound to run into a Mirkwood Petrol when they traveled deeper into the woods. In fact, it was rather surprising that they had not already been detected by one. 

He shifted slightly, his shoulder pained him more then he cared to admit and he felt a little weakened from the loss of blood.

A twig snapped under an approaching someone's foot, and Legolas was instantly on the alert. He nudged Aragorn hard with his foot and the ranger was just stirring as four of their captors approached. One of them gave a look of utter distaste as he stood before them, surveying the two. His eyes met the hard gaze of the elf and he was taken aback by the steely gaze of the captive, unable to bare the probing look of one of the first born for very long, he turned away.

Aragorn and Legolas were led towards two horses. Their hands were bound and attached to a rope which other end was attached to the back of two horses. With a sinking feeling, Aragorn realized there were to be made to run. Normally, this would have been no problem, but in the state Legolas was in… he knew his friend had all of his race's endurance but felt worried all the same. 

TBC…

**Give me your reviews! BTW I'm trying to decide whether or not to develop the parts about the men more, so who's for going more in depth in that area? **

Usually, I try to keep it at about three pages a chapter. This is only about half of that, BUT it has more words then other chapters so I guess it all evens out…

**Response to Reviewers**

**Anastasia Who**: Thanx for the review as always! :o)

**Deana**: Poor Legolas?? The worst is yet to come…

**Aranel**** of Mirkwood:** Wow… another elf angst enthusiast! Why am I not surprised? :o)

**Blackbird10:** Spooky? *** **Checks last chapter~*  Really? 

**Snowy:** I hope this was soon enough for you… 

**Colagreenleaf****:** I'm not battering him!!! It's the men … remember? ;o) A mutiny amongst the men? I'm not sure if I'm going to develop the story about the men much, after Legolas and Aragorn… erm… err… never mind. Anyway, I may put them in a sequel. 

**Sennay****:** You're hooked? YEA!!! Another person who's going to be reading to the end! I hope…

**Gwyn**: Elf angst IS yummy. 

**Elfmage****:** Four reviews at one go! All the chapters! You are great!!! Thanx!!! You seriously think my writing is good? You may change your mind in later chapters… though I'm trying to keep improving.  And your writing is great too-  I've read your fics.  So… crying in shame and jealousy… is totally out of order. No, the arrow is not poisoned. Or maybe it is… I'm not telling :o)

**Jessie:** They're not in serious trouble… yet.

**Star-stallion:** Yup, poor them, always being dragged into trouble. I'd update sooner but I was trying to finish chapter 6 before I posted this one. Thanx for reviewing! :o)

**Elven**** Kitten:** So you're an Aragorn fan then? Since you're only hugging Estel… :o)

**Devie**** Saves:** This story won't be unfinished! I resolve to finish it no matter how long it takes! 


	6. Not always what they seem

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.

A twist of fate 

Chapter VI –Not always what they seem

The sun flitted in through the leaves of the forest leaving strange patterns of shadow and light on the forest floor, as the group traveled deeper into Mirkwood, unaware that they were already being watched.

An elf, clad in the greens and browns of his people peered at the intruders from amongst the branches of a tree. He took note of their number and his eyes quickly scanned the group of men for other details to report to his Captain. In his haste to return, he missed a glint of blonde from amongst the heads of men, being dragged from behind a horse…

~*

Aragorn eyed Legolas through his peripheral vision, the elf had not stumbled as of yet and to an untrained eye looked barely affected by the journey at all, but to the ranger, it was fairly obvious that he was in some pain. The elf caught his friend's eyes and raised his eyebrows in question. Giving a sigh, Aragorn turned away; his friend's stubbornness would be the death of him one day.

In truth, Legolas was more then just in some pain. Every step sent waves of agony from his injured shoulder, until his entire right side was almost numb from the pain. He chewed his lips nervously, trying hard to concentrate on running and not let the pain distract him. So intent was he on trying to focus that he failed to notice a tree root protruding from the ground.  

He was dragged along by the rope for a few moments before he finally gained his bearings and managed to rise. He refused to look at the ranger whom he knew was worrying immensely for his well being. 

Worse still, Legolas was beginning to feel strange. There was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and his heart seemed to pump unnaturally loud in his chest. The surroundings seemed to swirl from time to time and often, he got the sensation that the trees were waving from side to side.

He swallowed hard to calm his nausea and took a few deep breaths. Silently, he wished that they would stop for the night as soon as possible, before the illness claimed him. 

~*

Legolas rested against the smooth bark of a tree and closed his eyes tiredly. All of a sudden, a spasm of nausea wrecked his stomach, unable to keep his body under control anymore, he violently retched its contents on the forest floor. When the weakness at last past, he shuddered slightly and shut his eyes tightly, leaning once again against the tree. 

Aragorn awoke from his slumber at the sound of the retching and moved as close to his friend as his bonds would allow. He brushed a few slick strands of blonde hair away from the elf's face and checked his pulse. 

Anxiously, he checked on Legolas' arrow wound. The wound had begun to heal slightly although that was doing more harm then good because of the sharp wooden splinters still embedded in the flesh. It did not seem infected and yet it seemed like his friend was ill. Legolas' forehead felt warm and droplets of sweat had collected on his brow. 

In normal circumstances, Aragorn would put it down to poison, but he had managed to get a close look at the arrow when it was carelessly thrown to the ground and there was no trace of poison on its head.

A distressed moan from the elf brought him back to the present and Aragorn continued his inspection of his friend's various injuries. None of them seemed serious enough to have caused a fever. 

A bird overhead flew from the branch it had just landed on and shook it, causing a few drops of water to fall onto Aragorn's face, reminding him of the dryness of his throat. They had not been given water for the entire day and already, he was beginning to feel slightly dehydrated. The ranger frowned as he recalled the other night.  The only thing that Legolas had consumed and Aragorn had not, was the water the night before. 

His ire rose as he realized the reason why his friend was not well. 

~*

Tiddyn twisted in his sleep caught in the throes of a nightmare. 

_The women sobbed pitifully, tears streaming down her face. This was not how it was supposed to be… no… it couldn't be happening… this was not real… Her sobbing eyes tried to find his in the crowd, but he looked away, unable to meet her eyes_

_A traitor… their eyes seemed to stab at his body cruelly. I didn't do it! Blame her, not me!_

_It was funny how such circumstances turned family against each other. And yet he felt no surge of guilt at the thought. All he wanted was to get away. Get away from this nightmare. _

_A firm hand was placed on his shoulder and it led him away from the mass of people. When they had reached a fair distance away, they stopped. His uncle's kindly eyes looked down and murmured soothing words to the boy. _

_A sharp crack from afar rung in the air for a few moments, and the boy turned around. He soon wished he hadn't. A hanging is not for the eyes of a child… _

He gasped, as he sprung awake, his fists tightly balled.

"Are you alright, Captain?"

It was just a dream. But no, it was worst then that, it was a memory. 

"Sir?"

"I'm… alright, Geollyn. What's the matter?"

"It's one of the prisoners, sir, he seems to be ill." Tiddyn followed Geollyn to where the captives were being guarded, his heart racing at this new complication.

~*

Legolas lay on the ground tiredly; he had just completed a rather exhausting process of dry retching. His lithe frame shuddered in pain, as he swallowed hard, irritating his swollen throat. He stared ahead at nothing in particular, too indwelled on his discomfort to concentrate on anything else. 

He was barely aware that a man bent down and lifted his head slightly, to look into his eyes and check his pulse. 

Aragorn glared angrily at the man who bent down to touch Legolas. He had been unable to do much to ease his friend's suffering in the course of the night and it frustrated him to say the least. Now, his agitation was directed to their captors. It was they who had gotten them into this mess in the first place. 

"Do not touch him." He said in icy tones that sent a slight shiver down the spines of those who were listening. 

"I _said… do not_ touch him." He reiterated. When everyone else continued to ignore him, Aragorn lashed out in a fit of anger. He landed a sound punch onto the jaw of the man examining Legolas and threw him back a few paces. 

At that moment, Tiddyn entered the small clearing. He frowned as he saw one of his men lying on the ground and one of the prisoners standing defensively over the other. 

TBC…

**There! I wrote a nice long chapter… so review please! **

**Thanks for all past reviews! **


	7. Resolution

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his. 

A twist of Fate

Chapter VII – Resolution 

"Do as he wishes." He ordered the men sternly. 

"If they do not wish help from us, it shall not be given." With that said, Aragorn and Legolas were once again left alone accept for a few guards close by. In the hopes of easing the elf's discomfort, the ranger laid him on the ground. He noted that his friend was trembling. Shudders ran through his body at regular intervals. 

Legolas closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind on other things to construct a weak barrier against his pain. Every breath he took was slow and labored and he was beginning to feel extremely weary in the simple matter of breathing.  His head pounded loudly and the world around him was bleary. Besides that, the wound in his shoulder was paining him immensely. Due to his quick elven healing, it had began to close up and the splinters in his flesh were becoming more and more firmly embedded because of the tissue forming around them. 

"It seems, my friend that you are without a doubt cursed. You journey with me home and trouble comes looking for us … as usual." 

The almost inaudible whisper reached Aragorn's ears. He smiled despite the dire circumstances they were in and turned to look at his friend who although his eyes were closed and pain furrowed his brow had the smallest of smiles on his lips. 

Quietly, the ranger resolved that he would get the elf back home or die trying. 

~*

They were about to set off again and Aragorn bided his time carefully. He knew that they might not make it far, but he had to try. There was no way he was going to allow the two of them to stay in the captivity of these men – these men who had harmed his friend – for a moment longer.  The elf had fallen unconscious a while back, the pain finally overwhelming him. 

A moment of inattention on the guard's part was all he needed. He gently hoisted his unconscious friend onto his shoulder and began to run.

As he had predicted, he was soon discovered. However, by some chance of luck, only one was sent out to recapture the two. Perhaps, they knew Aragorn couldn't get far with an injured elf on his hands. 

Addramyr followed the two steadily; he was catching up to them by the moment. He was mere meters behind the ranger now. With a spurt of energy he threw himself into the man. 

Aragorn landed hard on the ground, Legolas was flung off him. Aragorn whirled around to face the man, who had pulled a knife swiftly out of its sheath. He lunged at the ranger. Aragorn was prepared and dodged the man's blow.

Soon the two were locked in a deadly struggle. 

Aragorn swerved to one side to avoid a knife wound to his side. 

"You are just too much trouble you know? I had to find a way to keep you two in the camp. An arrow wound should have been sufficient, but I had to make sure. Your friend was further handicapped."

Addramyr knew it was going to be a hard fight and he sought to press all advantages to his side. He hoped to distract his opponent through speech.

"And now, I think, it would be best if you were out of the picture too. For the elf, is certainly not going anywhere without your help."

Aragorn felt his wrath swelling as he realized it was this man who had poisoned the water.

He would not allow himself to be distracted he thought to himself, and doubled his concentration.

~*

Back at the camp: 

"Where is Addramyr?"

"He went after the two captives, Sir." Tiddyn had no doubts of the abilities of Addramyr and trusted that he would retrieve the prisoners. Besides, he had heard tell that deeper into these woods, the going became more fraught with dangers, and he did not want to further reduce their numbers by sending more men after the two who had escaped. 

"We set off in an hour. Tell the men to make ready."

Up in the trees above the men, the area was already surrounded by a dozen elves, their arrows pointed and drawn at the intruders. The scout had done his job well. 

A voice rung out in the small clearing, "What is your purpose here strangers? Intruders are not welcome in our woods these dark days."

TBC… 


	8. Freedom

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.

A Twist of Fate 

Chapter VIII – Freedom 

An elf landed neatly in front of Tiddyn, as naturally as an acorn would from a tree, and before the man could even twitch, had drawn his bow and had the dangerous end staring at Tiddyn. He remained silent, awaiting the answer to his question. 

"We are but passing through these woods as delegates to another town," Tiddyn chose his words carefully so as not to offend. 

"Strangers are not welcome in these woods without the permission of our sire," His arrow remained pointed at Tiddyn, but it seemed to the man that the elf relaxed his grip just a little. 

"But if what you say is true and you are simply passing through… I see no harm that can be done. Your passing shall be noted by our King. Go now in peace strangers. But heed my words, there are more dangerous things in Mirkwood then Wood elves." The elf removed his bow from Tiddyn's face, caught the branch of the nearest tree and with a rustle of leaves disappeared into the thick canopy.

"Why did you simply let them go?" One of the younger warriors in the patrol questioned. 

"That is where you are mistaken. We are to follow them until they reach the borders of our woods to make sure they do no mischief." Their Captain replied. 

~*

Addrymer continued to try to distract the ranger with his surprising revelations but his efforts were in vain. It was not by Addrymer's words that he was distracted, but a soft moan that came from his friend. 

His attention slipped for one small moment, and that was all the time Addrymer needed. He stabbed his knife into his opponent's leg and twisted, the pain bringing the ranger to the ground, the full weight of Aragorn coming to rest on his injured leg which was bent under him.

Aragorn tried to hold back the man's hand that was moving steadily for his heart, but his awkward position on the ground, lessened his chances of succeeding and the cold silver blade of the knife crept inch by inch closer to his heart. It was now a mere finger's length away from the vital organ. Aragorn gulped. 

Suddenly, something changed. The pressure was reduced and the assailant crumpled to a useless heap before Aragorn. There, behind the now unconscious man, stood Legolas, swaying slightly, with a rock in his hand. 

"I told you… you could always trust me… to save your neck…"

He said softly, grinning weakly, before falling onto his knees.

~*

Aragorn caught his friend before he could slump forward further and lowered him to the ground. He sought out Legolas' pulse which was far too rapid for his liking. Under Aragorn's critical eye, the elf was deathly pale and a sheen of sweat covered his bare skin. 

A trembling hand gripped the Ranger's hand loosely and the faint whisper was almost lost on the man.

"We should leave at once. He will not be out long." Legolas' eyes darted to the insensible man lying close by.

 Aragorn nodded. The further the distance put between them and their previous captors, the better. Hastily, he tore a long strip from his cloak and proceeding to bind his leg wound tightly to staunch the bleeding. Legolas looked on quietly. Normally, he would never have allowed the ranger to treat his wounds in such a careless manner, but right now, their main priority was to get away from this place as quick as was possible. 

Together, the two continued their journey once more, the ranger supporting the weakened elf. 

~*

TBC… 

I'm so sorry for the delay!! My comp was spoilt...  :o(

Please review!!!! I hope people are still reading this…


	9. Foul Weather

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works are his.

A twist of fate

Chapter IX – Foul Weather 

 Legolas stumbled for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was becoming frustrated at his weakness. His muscles ached and trembled faintly and all he really felt like doing was lying down to sleep. 

Sensing his companion's growing depression, Aragorn unconsciously quickened their pace. Legolas struggled to keep up with the ranger, though every step made his head swim and his legs want to give way. His vision blurred and despite his efforts he soon began to stumble even more frequently and would have fallen if Aragorn did not have a tight hold around him. 

The ranger paused as he realized the elf was having difficulty. He cursed himself for being so stupid. He hastily slowed their walking speed.

"I am sorry, my friend …" He began apologetically.

Legolas shook his head, waving off the apology. He was too exhausted to reply. In silence, the two hurried on as fast as they were able, anxious to get to the elven realm.

~* 

Rain poured forth from thick wooly grey clouds in the sky and lightning flashed momentarily lighting up the pith black woods. Aragorn caught sight of Legolas' pair of dilated and glazed blue eyes staring blankly ahead, before darkness fell again.

A cruel wind gusted around the trees, throwing itself into the faces of the ranger and elf, until both of them had to squint to block out the discomfort. Large heavy drops were slipping down from trees onto the ground, turning the forest floor into a mixture of mud and fallen leaves. It was getting more difficult to walk on as the ground got more slippery by the minute. 

"I think we should stop," Legolas finally spoke up.

"It is hopeless traveling on in this wet." 

Aragorn had to agree. With a sense of despair, they went about trying to find some sort of shelter from the storm. The ranger sighed heavily. The dire situation they were in was starting to weigh on him. He knew not how long his friend would be able to fight he battle with the poison. For all he knew, his friend might drop dead on the spot this very minute. His heart sank at the thought. _No. _I will not let him die. We will get back to his home in time. As resolute as he tried to be, doubt still tugged at the corner of his mind, but he tried to shove it aside. 

Thunder rumbled deep from the sky belly and the ground almost seemed to quake with the resonance. Lighting soon followed, the white light tore a jagged cut in the sky and hit a tall tree that protruded from the canopy of the woods. Unfortunately, it was also the tree under which Aragorn and Legolas currently stood.

A good sized sturdy branch gave way like a mere twig, and tumbled to the ground. Legolas and Aragorn both heard the branch as it roughly made its descent to the bed of the forest, pushing past the branches of other trees and breaking off smaller weaker ones.

Simultaneously, the two friends hurled themselves as far away from the tree as possible. However, it was not far enough. 

Without a thought, Aragorn pushed Legolas ahead of him, as far as was possible, just as the  branch hurtled down, trapping him beneath it. Darkness swept swiftly across the ranger's vision. 

~* 

Legolas rolled for a good way down the slightly steep ground. He was bumped and jostled by the uneven ground before his midsection hit a tree hard. His breath was knocked out of him and he heard a sickening crack as several of his ribs were unable to withstand the impact.

He gulped and choked, trying to take in air which his body desperately needed. After several moments, he lay still, wheezing, trying to recover from the shock. He had to get back to Aragorn. Shakily he pulled himself away from the tree and gasped as his insides throbbed painfully. He tried to stand, but his legs refused to hold him. Throwing away all pride for the sake of his friend, the proud elf painstakingly began to crawl over to where he perceived Aragorn to be. 

Just a little more… a little idiotic voice kept telling him, although the rest of his mind screamed out that it was lying. Stubbornly, he refused to listen to it. His arms shook with the exertion. His hands were caked with mud as he grabbed onto the ground and pulled himself forward. 

As he dragged himself across the uneven ground, rocks and twigs dug into his already bruised and battered body causing him great pain. His arrow wound was ripped open again and blood oozed out from it, dripping onto the ground below. The broken ribs grated painfully.

Despite, the agony Legolas was in, he stoically pushed himself forward. He stopped to rest once, resting his head on the muddy ground, smearing brown dirt over his cheeks. That same voice commented that he should take a good long bath when he got home. Hopelessly, Legolas wondered it he would ever be so lucky as to do just that.  

~*

When Legolas reached the place where he had last been together with Aragorn, his heart froze at the sight. His friend was caught between the ground and the heavy tree branch. Thankfully, the ranger was not wedged tightly. Legolas thought he would probably be able to get him out from there with some effort. Right now, he was too exhausted. His friend was not grievously wounded from the looks of it, just unconscious. Legolas let himself go limp as he slumped on the ground and fell into a deep sleep. 

TBC …

Really really sorry for the very very short chapter eight…. Well, this chapter is longer… and more eventful.

**Thanx**** to all who reviewed and those who are still reading this! Please continue to review!! They encourage me to write quicker…. Really! **


	10. Battles

Discaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works belong to him.

A Twist of Fate

Chapter X –  Battles

Legolas whimpered slightly in his sleep and flinched. A grimace crossed his face as he wandered closer to reality and his body began taking inventory of its injuries. He lifted his head off the ground and blinked, fully awake at last. He felt stiff and sore but the sleep had done him some good. 

Cautiously, he attempted to rise and this time he was rewarded for his labors as his legs supported him at last. Holding on to the trunks of trees for support, he staggered to where the ranger as still out cold. A surge of guilt and worry rushed through him as he wondered why the ranger was not already awake. 

He took held Aragorn firmly by the pits of his arms and painstakingly started to pull him out from under the tree branch. The branch shifted slightly and he tensed, fearful that his friend would be crushed beneath it, but thankfully it kept quite still after a moment. He was unable to stifle a small moan as his injured body made known to him just what it thought of such activities as rescuing dead weight, trapped friends. 

When at last the ranger was free, Legolas flung himself onto the ground, gently easing the ranger onto his lap. There was a long cut running from Aragorn's temple to his chin which had stopped bleeding. Other then that, he seemed to be relatively unharmed. 

Legolas let out a breath he did not know he was holding. He sat there for a while, caked in mud and filth and blood, his shoulder wound spreading its numbing pain through his entire left side. A few tears of pain and relief leaked out from the corners of his eyes as he closed them tightly, trying to deal with the pain. 

He knew he was losing the battle with the poison. 

~*

He kept slipping into the world of dreams as he walked with the ranger slung over his shoulder. Aragorn was still unconscious much to his dismay and that worried him to no end. He had to get them both to safety and that thought drove him forward. His lungs expanded and contracted unevenly with each step as he pushed himself doggedly on.

_Legolas__…_

Ignore it, he told himself firmly. But the voice continued to whisper incessantly. 

_Legolas__…_

_Hearken to me…_

_Follow my call…_

_Come away from this pain…_

_Come… _

_Come… _

It cooed in his ear. It caressed his dirty face seductively, the soft hands cool on his fevered brow. He quickened his pace. You shall not have me! He said aloud to himself. 

He had broken into a run, his damp hair flying behind him. He had to move closer to home and further from death. He ran on though his legs wobbled dangerously and at times he fell onto one knee. He lifted himself and ran on until his breath came in short pants and his vision was a white fog. He ran on until at last he pitched forward, releasing his hold on his friend and falling to his side.

The poison had won at last. 

~*

Aragorn's fingers twitched and his brow furrowed. He winced as he lifted his aching head. He closed his eyes tightly and bracing himself for the pain, lifted his head again. To his horror, the first thing he caught sight of was a tangle of dirty blonde hair he was lying on. Soft mutters and moans came from the body under him. The pressure of Aragorn's weight upon his broken ribs and bruised chest was terrible even in the elf's unconscious state. 

Aragorn quickly heaved himself off the elf. With care, he turned his friend onto his back. Legolas eyes were shuttered. His head lolled limply against his chest and his fists were clenched around the fabric of his sleeve just above his arrow wound. The other arm tightly held his ribs. 

"I am sorry my friend. Sorry I was not able to help you…" 

Aragorn murmured to the unresponsive elf remorsefully. 

TBC…    

**Well, here's the second last chapter. Please review if you want the final one.**

**The first chapter of [ These Burdens We Carry] a story that takes place before this one is already up…**

**MANY MANY THANKS to all reviewers and others reading this!! Thanx to you guys, I have over a hundred reviews!!! :o)**


	11. Home and Safe At last

Disclaimer: All things related to Tolkien's works belong to him.

A Twist of Fate

Chapter XI -  Home and Safe at Last

Aragorn laid Legolas gently on the ground and examined the elf's wounds. His friend's forehead was hot to the touch and sheen of sweat had beaded on it. His eyes were clenched tightly shut. Aragorn grimaced as he looked upon the arrow wound which Legolas had acquired so long ago. It remained unhealed and looked incredibly painful for wooden splinters were still embedded in his flesh. Infection had set in.

On top of all that Legolas' body continued to battle with the poison. Aragorn sighed heavily. The only thing he could do for his friend was to get him back home. As carefully as he was able, the ranger lifted his friend into his arms, his face set with determination.  

~*

Aragorn's leg hurt every time he set his weight down on it. _Just a little further._ He could see the huge wooden gates towering above him. 

His strength was failing him. He had lost far too much blood from his leg wound and his head hurt badly. He wavered where he stood and raised a hand. White flashes were beginning to appear in front of his eyes.

The exhausted ranger dropped to his knees. His vision titled and he toppled over to his side. His grip on the elf slackened and he heard a soft cry of pain as he landed across his friend's body. He closed his eyes tiredly and let his fragile hold on consciousness slip.

~*

Thranduil rushed anxiously down the corridor that let to his son's room. _Not again… Not again… _He dreaded what he would find. He paused outside the door of his wayward son's room. He could hear sounds of activities inside combined with low moans of pain. His heart leapt to his throat. With heavy cloud of dread about him, he stepped in. 

His fears were only confirmed by the sight of his son. In fact, Thranduil had to look twice to make sure it really was his son. The limp form of Legolas was completely covered in mud and dirt from head to toe. 

Currently, the healers were struggling to remove his tunic and undershirt without causing the elf further pain. However, for all their efforts, they were failing miserably. The mud had dried and was caked all over Legolas, making his clothes stick to his skin. As they tried to pull off the tunic, Legolas let out a low moan as they unintentionally brushed against his arrow wound. 

"What is wrong with my son?" Thranduil exclaimed before he could stop himself.

One of the healers looked up from his labors to answer his lord. 

"His friend, the ranger, was with him. The man awoke from his unconscious state earlier and managed to utter something about poison before he fell into an exhausted sleep. What other injuries he conceals… we know not." 

The elf would not meet his sire's eyes and that worried Thranduil all the more. 

Finally, the healers gave up and proceeded to place their prince into a tub of water, to wash the mud off him. Only then would they be able to find out what other injuries he had.  

~*

Legolas lay on the soft white bed, his breathing erratic.  His fingers dug deeply into his palm and his knuckles were white.  His face was creased with pain. He had awakened sometime earlier but felt too tired to open his eyes. He felt slightly guilty about not doing so for he could sense his father's presence near him. However the pain overruled all other thoughts.

As his lungs expanded, pain radiated out from his ribs before subsiding, only to repeat the same process every time he took in a breath. 

His throat hurt whenever he swallowed and his nose felt blocked. His eyes felt leaden and watery and there was a strange buzzing in his ears. He could hear muffled voices nearby and caught a few words. _Nothing for it…administered antidote… wait for the illness to run its course…_  He supposed they were talking about him. He sighed mentally and grudgingly tried to pry his eyes open again.

The bright light assaulted his eyes and left him dazed for a moment. When his vision cleared a little, he saw a blurry figure before him. He tried to focus as the Elven King said something to him but the buzzing had increased in intensity and his eyelids were pulling downwards again. To his own dissatisfaction he fell back into a deep slumber. 

~*

When next he woke, Legolas felt much better.  His body didn't ache so much and breathing was easier. With a contented sigh, he opened his eyes and let his gaze sweep the room. It was empty and for a moment, he just let himself revel in quiet of the morning. Sunlight streamed in from the window and a light breeze blew gently around the room. 

He heard the door creak softly open and in hobbled Aragorn supporting himself with a roughly made crutch. The ranger stopped short at the sight of him before exclaiming delightedly.

"You're awake!"

"Is that such a surprise?" Legolas responded, his voice tinged with amusement.

"It is when you've been out cold for three days already… How are you feeling my friend?"

"Considerably better…" The elf watched as Aragorn collapsed into a chair, after placing his crutch down beside him.

The ranger's smiling face turned to him and a comfortable silence fell over the room as the two friends silently thanked the Valar that the other was safe. 

- **End – **

I finished a fic !!! Woohoo!!! I'm still contemplating a sequel … who's for the idea?

Anyway, many many thanks to all those who have been reading this faithfully!! **All your reviews have really kept me going! **

I've started another fic:

**These Burdens We carry**

Check it out if you have time!!! 

Once again many thanks to all those who reviewed!! It was horrible of me not to reply personally to all of them. ~*hangs head in shame~  Without the wonderful reviews I would never have finished this fic!!!! Thanx!!!

~*~* Random Ramblings :o) ~*~ 


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